Nb. 17 

NOVEMBER 1952 

EARCH NOTES 

RIMENT STATION 

UPPER DARBY PA R. W. MARQUIS DIRECTOR 

HOW HANY TREES 

ARE DES-TROYED IN LOGGING? 

Damage to standing timber is accepted as a 

normal result of logging operations. The extent 

of such logging damage has not been established 

for the Appalachian Mountain region. 

.-. If the forest manager knew the extent of 

ge from different intensities of cutting, he 

would be better able to maintain a fixed growing 

stock. He could allow for the amount and distribution of expected damage and compensate for 

it. 

A preliminary study wa? made on three experimental logging jobs on the Fernom Ekperimental Forest in West VirgMa, to determine the 

amount and distribution of logging dam-ige. 

This area is typical of several million 

acres in the Appalachian Mountain region. The 
stands are a mixture of old residuals 

crowns and pung pole-size trees with s 

crowns. Topography is varied, ~5th an 

slope of about 30 percent. Elevations range 

from 2,200 to 2,680 feet. The history of the 

area is one of clear-cutting, followed by severe 

fire, then Federal acquisition and protection. 

Now cove hardwoods predominate in the coves and 

lower slopes, andmixed oaks on the ridges. 

A Study Of Logging Damage 

Three intensities of cutting were used. Two 

were partial cuttings, to 16-inch and 11,-inch 

diameter limits, removing respectively about 47% 

and 50% of the stand volume (trees 5 inches dbh 

and larger). In addition, same smaller trees 

were taken out as thinnislgs. The third was a 

strsight @-inch diameter-llmit cutting--practicallp a clear-cutting. About 85% of the stand 

volume was removed. 

Cutting mas done with a pmer saw, by an 

experienced 2- crew that had been trained to 

use care in felling. Cull trees were girdled 

poisoned. Damage to the residual stand probab 

would have been greater if these large culls ha 

been felled. 

!he felled trees were skidded out in tree 

lengths, through natural openings to skid trails. 

A logging arch was used in skidding. This helped to control movement of the atem and so minidsed damage to amallex- trees, 

D-ge considered in this study was cow 

plete destruction of the tree (immediate destruction or wounding so that death ras certain). 
Results 

Though based on only three logging jobs, 

varying in size from 46 to 59 acres, the results 

indicate that damage to the residual stand need 

not be a deterrent to partial cutting--even in 

this region of difficult logging (tables 1 and 

2) - 

Table l.--Lomia~ daerane to residuaJ. t&es. by diameters 

D.b.h. 

(inches) 

Trees destroyed by16-inch 

diameter cutting 

Per acre 

Iiumber Number Number Number Number lumber 

5 1X) 2.03 69 1.49 131 2.49 

6 98 1.66 86 1.87 85 1.62 

7 56 .95 33 71 37 -70 

8 2 5 .42 38 .%2 29 .55 

9 16 27 30 65 -- -- 10 10 917 21 045 -- -- ll 12 .20 u, 30 -- -- 12 3 05 7 15 -- - 13 6 .10 4 09 -- - u 10 017 2 -04 -- -. 15 7 .I2 -- - - - 16 3 -05 - - - 

, 

Only 3 to 5 trees per 100 of those to be 

left (5 inches dbh and larger) were lost to 

logging damage. These losses are so relatively 

small that only under very intensive management 

would they have to be compensated for in marking 

for the cut. 

The volume damaged was also small: 0.5% to 

16% of the original stand volume. The trees 

lost were well scattered over the selectively 

3 

U-inch 

diameter cutting 

Total Per acre 

8-inch 

diameter cutting 

Total 
Table 2.-Sumraarv of longinR ciamane 

Number of trees damaged: 

Total number 

Number per acre 

Percent of residual stalnd 

Volume of trees damaged: 

Percent of residual stand 2.9 3.2 3.6 

Percent of original stand 1.5 1.6 0.5 

. 

cd areas, and the losses did not make undesirable holes fn the forest cover. 

Item 

(NO record was kept of trees damaged but 

expected to live, nor of trees less than 5 inches dbh.) 

U-inch 

diameter 

cutting 

lbinch 

diameter 

cutting 

Damage in the partially cut stands dl1 

probably be lower in future cuts. This first 

cut removed the larger trees, remnants 

original 

damaged the 

stand. 

second-growth 

Despite careful 

stand. Once 

felling, 

these of th tbig 

holdovers are removed, there should be less damage in future cuts, when the trees will have 

more compact crowns. 

&inch 

diameter 

cutting 

--SIDNEY WEITZMAN and CARL J. HOLCOPlB 

4 AGRICULTURE - FOREST SERVICE - UPPER DARBY. PA.